A suicide car bomber detonated explosives at a U.S. military outpost in the Province of Diyala in the city of Baqubah, Iraq. It killed at least 9 United States soldiers and wounded at least 20 other soldiers. 15 were treated at a medical post and later released to return to duty. The remaining 5 were transferred to another medical center where they will receive further medical attention.

“We have seen a lot of recent attacks up in Diyala… that have been part of the fight for the province,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq.

A militant group calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq claimed in a statement they posted on a website: “Two knights from the Islamic State in Iraq … [in] two booby-trapped trucks hit the heart of the Crusader American headquarters in the region of Diyala.”

At least 3,333 American troops have been killed since 2003 when the U.S. invaded Iraq.